Car coupler anti-creep mechanism



June 11, 1968 K. 1.. DE PENTI CAR COUPLER ANTI-CREE? MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1966 KENNE TH L.DE PENTI INVENTOR June 11, 1968 K. L. DE PENTl 3,387,716

CAR COUPLER ANTI-CREE? MECHANISM Filed Feb. 28, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 PRIOR ART COU PLER LNCOUPLED a 2 Ila/ Q KENNETH L. DE PENT! INVENTOR June 11, 1968 K. 1.. DE PENTI 3,387,716

CAR COUPLER ANTI-CREE? MECHANISM Filed Feb. 28, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet S a, COUPLED WITH 3.2 ANTI- CREEP MECHANISM 4/ENGAGED /5 COUPLEDANORMAL) 32 KENNETH, L DE PENTI INVENTOR United States ABSTRACT OF THE DHSCLOSURE An improvement within a fixed jaw coupler in the construction of an anti-creep element pivotally mounted on the lock of the coupler and an abutment in the rear of the coupler head to achieve more positive prevention of unintentional unlocking of the lock.

Description Rigid jaw couplers of more recent design have mechanism for efifecting what is known in the prior art as lockset condition, and for maintaining the lock of the coupler in locked condition despite unwanted unlocking forces.

This invention relates to fixed-jaw or Willison type couplers having mechanism for effecting what is known in the art as lock-set condition, and for maintaining the lock in locked position in opposition to unwanted unlocking forces.

The type of coupler under present consideration is further identified by an anti-creep element pivotally mounted on the lock and having a rear arm arranged to engage a rearward transverse wall of the coupler head when required to prevent a rearward movement of the lock out of locking or coupling position. The earliest and only known prior art of this type of coupler is French patent application No. 983,347 filed July 28, 1964, and its corresponding United States patent application Ser. No. 470,668, filed July 9, 1965, now Patent No. 3,283,917.

Extensive tests subjecting the most closely related prior art couplers to severe impact forces in longitudinal lateral, and vertical directions, and combinations thereof, have indicated that the prior art anti-creep mechanism is wanting in positive performance under all anticipated conditions to which coupled couplers are subjected.

Hence, the primary object of this invention is to provide highly dependable mechanism for preventing unintended movement of the lock out of locking position in a coupler of the type in which the element which prevents its movement is carried on the lock and arranged to include the rearward transverse wall of the coupler.

The invention, in brief, resides in a fixed-jaw coupler comprising, as components known to the prior art, a head having a cavity, a rolling type lock having pivotal connection with the head in a lower rear portion thereof, a lock-set piece supported on a trunnion fixed in the head in lateral juxtaposition with the lock, an anti-creep element pivotally supported on a transversely extending trunnion of the lock for engaging a rearward transverse wall, such as a rear head wall, and a rotor having a cam member for operating the lock, the lock-set piece, and

atent reason the lock backs away from its forwardmost position without a corresponding movement of the rotor.

A front arm of the element and the cam member are structurally related to enable such member to function as a stop for limiting the downward movement of the front arm to a level positioning the rear arm immediately to the front of the concavity at the lowest forward position of the member. The other function of the cam member relative to the anti-creep element is to rotatably engage the front arm to carry it upward and thus rotate the rear arm to a lower position for passing through the opening.

In the preferred embodiment, the lock-throwing surface of the cam member is that which stops, as well as actuates the anti-creep element. The front surface of the transverse wall adjacent the rearward wall area may be smooth and free of obstruction, such as structure overhanging the rear arm of the element.

In the drawing with respect to which this invention is described:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a coupler in accordance with the single embodiment herein described;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation in section illustrating a prior art coupler as a basis of comparison for the present invention;

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 7 are fragmentary side elevations in section of the coupler illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the coupler in uncoupled (FIG. 3), coupled with anticreep mechanism engaged (FIG. 4), normally coupled (FIG. 5), and lock-set (FIG. 7) conditions, respectively; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevation in section of the coupler head, with all parts removed taken along line VIVI of FIG. 3.

The components of the coupler in accordance with the invention consists of, as shown clearly in FIG. 1, a coupler head 5, a lock 6, a rotor comprising a shaft 7 and a thrower or cam member 8, an anti-creep element 9, a lock-set piece 10, and an indicator 11 for indicating the operating condition of the coupler. The counterparts of these pieces are found in the prior art coupler illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the lock, lock-set piece, and the indicator may be identical with those found in the coupler of FIGS. 1 and 3 to 7.

The essential differences between the two couplers illustrated by the drawing are to be found in the construction of the anti-creep mechanism, i.e., in the rear portion of the head 5, the anti-creep element 9, and to a slight extent in the cam member 8. Especially to be noted is that the prior 'art coupler of FIG. 2 has a downwardfacing abutment for limiting upward movement of the rear leg of the anti-creep element 90. A flat, nearly vertical surface 14 for limiting horizontal movement of the element 9a has its lower extremity at the upper limit of the opening defined by the hollow shank of the coupler of FIG. 2.

In the assembled condition of the coupler newly disclosed herein, the lock 6 is received in the cavity of the head 5 with a tooth '15 thereof received in opening 16 of the head. The lock has a recess 17 on its far side, as shown in FIG. 1 in a lower part of which the cam member 8 is supported by the rotor shaft 7 on section 19 thereof. This section is received in an opening 21 of the member 8 and a side wall bearing of the coupler head not shown. The lock recess 17 also receives a major portion, especially the front arm 22, of the anti-creep element 9. The element 9 has an opening 23 enabling it to be pivotally mounted on a trunnion 24 of the lock with respect to which the front arm 22 and a rear arm 26 of the element 9 extend forwardly and rearwardly, respectively. The element 9 is supported above the cam member 8 within the vertical plane containing the member. The vertical dimensions of the front arm 22 of the anti-creep element and the cam member 8 are such as to enable the front arm to rest on an upper cam surface 28 at the coupled condition of the coupler shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

When the anti-creep element 9 rests on the cam memher 8 at coupled position of the coupler, the rear terminus 29 of the element is positioned in. front juxtaposition with an area 31 of a rearward transverse wall of the coupler, i.e., the rear wall 32. Area 3f defines a cavity 34 which indents rearwarclly with respect to other portions of the area 31, particularly with respect to the lower extremity or edge 35 of the area 31 occurring along an upper portion of the periphery of an opening 36 extending rearwardly into the shank of the coupler.

As shown by various figures of the drawing, except the prior art illustration in FIG. 2, the concavity has an upper section 38 and a lower section 39. Cavity section 38 is preferably as large as the end surface 41 of the rear arm 26 so that it may serve as the usual abutment surface for the rear arm when element 9 is positioned against the cam member 8 and thus positioned for holding the lock forward in its coupler-coupled position.

The lower section 39 of the cavity 34 serves as a gathering or guide surface aiding the element 9 in reaching its normal abutting relation with the section 38 on occasions when the anti-creep mechanism is brought into play. On occasions of severe or erratic coupling or train action, the element 9 will tend to oscillate on its axis with some danger of the rear arm 26 entering the opening 36. Section 39 of the concavity tends to entrap the rear terminus 29 of the arm 26 above the upper periphery of the opening 36. However, the lower extremity 35 of the concavity section 39 must be cleared by the terminus 29 as the element is rotated to drop its rear arm into alignment with the opening 36. At the forwardmost position of the lock, as shown in FIG. 5, the rear terminus of the element 9 is separated from the concavity section 38 by a gap or clearance 44 disposing the end surface 41 of the element within a radius measured between the axis 24b of the trunnion 24 and the surface edge 35. Hence, the arm 26, when rotated downwardly to the position indicated in FIG. 3, passes the edge 35 without restriction. While the end surface 41 and the concavity section 38 extend downwardly and rearwardly and are cantered rearwardly with respect to the general plane of the wall 32, these surfaces are approximately tangent with respect to radii extending from the axis 24b. This is a consequence of the concavity 34, especially the section 38, being at a higher level in the coupler than the axis 24b, and the rear wall 32 being nearly vertical, or at least more vertical than section 38.

Tilting of the anti-creep element 9 to lower and align its rear arm 26 with the opening 36 is accomplished in two ways, depending upon the condition of the coupler to be assumed. In the uncoupled or pre-coupled position, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the lock is in its forwardmost position but the lock-set piece 10 is free to tilt forward in the absence of an opposed coupler bearing on the front pad 46 of the look-set piece. Under this condition a laterally extending lug 47 of the lock-set piece bears on the top surface 48 of the element 9 to carry the arm 26 out of confronting relation with the concavity 34. In this movement, the lock-set piece It tilts about a trunnion 49 provided for its support as an integral portion of the head.

In another manner, the anti-creep element 9 is rotatable from the position shown in FIG. by clockwise movement of the thrower or cam member 8 as the member is rotated by the shaft 7 during an uncoupling operation. It may be observed that the cam surface is already in engagement with the undersurface 51 of the front arm 26 of the element 9 at coupled position. The coupler components are readily shifted from the condition of FIG. 5 to the condition of FIG. 7 by sufiicient rotation (counterclockwise in FIG. 7) of the cam member 8. In such transition, the cam member surface 28 first lifts the front arm of the anti-creep element to shift the rear arm in alignment with the opening 36 and while maintaining the element in its consequently rotated position, the member 3 engages a cam following surface 53 of the lock, and as the member 8 rotates further rearwardly, carries the lock eventually to a position at least as far rearwardly as that shown in FIG. 7. During this movement, the lock-set piece has been lifted in a vertical direction by a laterally extending lifting lug 54 which initially engages an under-surface 55 of the lock-set piece and continues to lift it until it passes under the corner surface 56.

As the lug 54 passes from underneath the corner surface 56, the lock-set piece drops back to the position shown in 57. If the rotor is released at this point, the lug 54 will lodge against a rearward facing surface 57 of the lock-set piece. Lock-set condition is, of course, maintained as long as an opposing coupler is in contact with the pad 46 of the lock-set piece. However, as soon as the opposing coupler is withdrawn from the coupler shown, the lockset piece will tilt forward, as shown in FIG. 3, and the other internal parts of the coupler will also assume the position shown in FIG. 3.

If the coupler remains coupled with an opposed coupler and lock-set condition (FIG. 7) is no longer desired, the

. coupler may be taken out of lock-set condition by lifting on a handle 61 which protrudes in a lateral direction through an opening 62 in the side wall 63 of the coupler. In a manner known previously, the forward or rearward position of the lock may be known through the position of an externally visible indicator 64 in pivotal relation with the coupler head and engageable relation with the arm 26 of the element 9.

Viewing this invention with respect to the nearest known prior art, more positive anti-creep action in the coupler herein described is attained through, primarily, a modification in the design of the anti-creep element and a rear internal conformation of the head, and through a changed relationship and cooperation of the internal working parts of the coupler, especially, the anti-creep element, the lock-throwing rotor, and the rearward transverse wall of the head.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described or of the portions thereof as fall within the purview of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fixed jaw car coupler which comprises:

a head having a cavity and a rear wall, a lock housed in said cavity having a lower rearward portion in pivotal connection with a lower rearward portion of the head, a coupler-operating rotor having an axis of rotation in transverse fixed relation with said head, a lock-set piece pivotally supported by the head in lateral juxtaposition with the lock, an anti-creep element pivotally supported by the lock in lateral juxtaposition therewith, the element having a rear arm and a front arm heavier than the rear arm extending in generally opposite directions from the pivot axis of the element, said rear arm extending rearwardly when said element is disposed in its operative horizontal lock-arresting position into front proximity with a front-facing area of said rear wall, means on said rotor and said lock-set piece limiting movement of said rear arm upwardly relative to said area, said wall having an opening below said area for receiving said rear arm in a condition of the coupler in which the lock is disposed rearwardly of its forward coupling position and said rear arm is disposed downwardly from said operative position, wherein:

said area has its lower extremity at the upper periphery ass-2,715

of said opening and defines a concavity indenting rearwardly from said extremity and the concavity is of a size for receiving a rear terminus of the rear arm;

said terminus, at the coupling position of the lock, is spaced with respect to said transverse wall so as to be rotatably free thereof; and

said means limits upward movement of said rear arm to an extent maintaining vertically overlapping relation of said terminus with said area.

2. In a coupler according to claim 1 wherein:

(a) said coupler-operating rotor has a cam member (having an axis of rotation in transverse fixed relation with head); and

the coupler has means positioning said carn member generally frontwardly of its axis at locking or coupled condition of the coupler in which condition said member has an upward facing surface in proximate engageable relation with said front arm and partially constitutes said limiting means.

3. In a coupler according to claim 2 wherein:

a stop lug extends laterally from the side of the lock-' set piece nearer said element into overhanging relation with the element at a level enabling the front arm to engage said cam member when said lock-set piece engages an opposing coupler coupled with said coupler.

4. In a coupler according to claim 2 wherein:

said area is disposed at a level generally above that of the axis of rotation of the element; and

an upper portion of the concavity and the end surface of the rear arm are approximately tangent to radii thereof with respect to said axis.

5. In a coupler according to claim 2 wherein:

the end surface of said rear, arm is canted downwardly and rearwardly when opposite said concavity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner. 

